Blood Bank
by charmedhunter
Summary: Arianna DuBaer woke up a vampire 145 years ago with no idea who turned her. After a century and a half, Arianna has returned to the place where it all started, Mystic Falls, looking for the answer to the question that has been on her mind for 145 years, who turned her and why?
1. Prologue

_**AN: So this is a re-write of a story that I wrote a few years back called 'Zombie' Same character just a different storyline. Also, this wont be a Damon/OC story. Anyway, hope you like it. Please review!**_

_Once upon a time, long ago in the small, sleepy town of Mystic Falls, there lived a princess. Her beauty was renowned throughout Mystic Falls, and the princess had many suitors, but the princess only had eyes for one of the young princes who lived next door. As children, she and the young prince played together, and as they grew older, their friendship blossomed into something more. But one day, war broke out throughout the land, and the young prince had to leave._

_The princess waited for a year, and when her prince finally returned, she eagerly awaited his arrival at her palace. When it never came she went to his palace to discover that her prince had fallen under the spell of a beautiful demon that had been staying with the prince's family. The young princess watched in despair as her prince became more and more enamored with the demon and her games, her heart breaking slowly each day that passed._

_Then one night, tragedy struck as __the prince and his younger brother were killed in battle. And the princess went missing a week later, never to be heard from again. _

It's funny, how fast time goes by. To me, the events of my human life seem like they only happened yesterday, when in reality, they happened years ago. 145 years ago to be precise. I should probably introduce myself. I am the princess of the story you just heard. Well, I wasn't actually a princess, but in Mystic Falls, if you're part of a Founding Family, you might as well be one. My name is Arianna DuBaer and I am a 167 year old vampire. You're probably wondering who the prince of the story was. That's easy. His name is Damon Salvatore. He's a vampire too. His younger brother Stefan too. Only the thing is; the two of them have no idea that I was turned into a vampire. But all that's about to change; I'm returning to my hometown for the first time since being turned and I have it on good knowledge that both the Salvatore brothers will be in town. With the two of them in the mix, things are bound to get interesting. Mystic Falls, brace yourselves; you're about to witness the 1864 reunion from hell.


	2. Pilot

AN: I own nothing. Except Arianna DuBaer. The story takes place from the Pilot onwards. Hope you like it!

It was a beautiful September day in the town of Mystic Falls. But nobody cared about that, no, everybody who was out enjoying the day had their eyes permanently glued to the sleek black Mercedes Benz McLaren- SLR that was currently winding its way into town. Everybody wondered who the driver could be. There was talk that it might be the mysterious niece of the Marco DuBaer, who had recently passed away, coming to move into the family's old home. And they were right; the person driving the expensive car was a DuBaer. Stalling at a STOP sign, Arianna DuBaer looked around at the all the curious stares she was getting and rolled her eyes. It was her own fault really; flashy cars always stood out in small towns. Driving around in a Mercedes was bound to draw attention to herself, which was the last thing she wanted to do. Especially when she was looking for answers. Sighing, Ari turned up the volume on her stereo and started drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the way to be clear. A loud screech caught the vampires' attention, looking over she saw a small blue car suddenly swerve and pull up to the curb. Using her heightened vampire senses, Ari observed the two teenagers in the car with great interest; the driver was a young girl with long brown hair and green eyes, but there was something… different about her blood. Something Magical. Ari noted. She smirked. Mystic Falls had a witch in its midst. Joy. Ari was about to turn away when the girl in the passenger seat caught her attention. Delicate features, olive skin, long brown hair. It couldn't be... Katherine. Ari snarled and was about to get out of the car, when a scent from the car reached her nose. There was the witches blood which smelt unusual, but there was something else there, something human. The girl in the car wasn't a vampire which meant that she couldn't be Katherine which meant….. Ari let out a bitter laugh; what do you get if you add the Salvatore brothers, the unsuspecting town of Mystic Falls, and a Katherine doppelganger into the mix? Ari wondered as she watched the small blue car drive away. Trouble. She thought as she drove off in the same direction of the little car. Lots of trouble.

ZOMBIE

Ari slowed down when she reached her old family home that had been re-built in a different part of town in the 1920's. The original DuBaer house had been next to the Salvatore's house on Miller lane. As she got out of the car Ari noted that the new house was an exact replica of the original house; the one she had grown up in. Ari was so caught up in her trip down memory lane that she didn't notice that she wasn't alone,

"Um, Miss?" Ari looked to her left to find a young handsome lawyer staring at her, Ari shook her head,

"Yes, sorry. You must be, Mr Scott. I'm Arianna DuBaer; we spoke on the phone." She said, shaking the man's hand,

"Pleasure to meet you; when we spoke on the phone, I was under the impression that you wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow-?" He trailed off. Ai raised an eyebrow,

"I was able to get away from my previous engagement a little earlier. That's not a problem is it?" Mr Scott shook his head,

"No. No, not at all. Actually it makes things a little easier as I was leaving town tomorrow and I wouldn't have been able to give you the paperwork of the house myself." He smiled, "Well, then Miss DuBaer, here is all the paperwork you'll need for the house, all the legal documentation of your Uncle's will has been taken care of, and you're free to move in whenever you wish. And I believe that the moving tuck has already arrived." He pointed to the truck parked in the driveway." Ari nodded,

"Thank You, Mr Scott." The lawyer nodded and handed her a large brown envelope,

"The keys are inside." He said, shaking her hand once again and making his way to his own car. Ari watched the lawyer drive away with mild interest. Cute. She thought. Taking a deep breath, Ari began to unload the moving truck with the help of the moving guys. She only had a few boxes full of her clothes and books; she was using the furniture in the house that she had 'inherited.' That's what everyone in town thought. That was just the story that the lawyers had fed everyone. The truth was that she had come back to Mystic Falls two weeks earlier to find one of her descendants on his deathbed with no one to give his property to. Enter Ari. The old man had been more than willing to change his will at the last minute, much to the disdain of the Mayor and his family who had been hoping to get their hands on the sprawling mansion and the rest of the family possessions. Marco DuBaer had died a week earlier, giving all of his property to Ari. Which worked out perfectly well for her; it gave her valid reason for her to be there; one that she could tell the Founding Council. Which brought her to her first order of business; she had to get on the Founding Council, for her plan to work, that's exactly what she needed to do. But first she had to visit her parents.

A little while later, Ari stood over her parent's grave; she slowly sat down in front of their grave, and placed the bunch of white roses over their graves.

"Hey." She said softly, as if they could hear her, "It's me, Ari. I- urm- I- guess I'm not dead like you thought I was. Surprise!" Ari laughed, "I'm a vampire; the very thing you raised me to despise. Ironic right?" Ari paused, letting the rays of the afternoon sun fall on her face; thank god, she had a necklace that protected her against the sun. "You know," Ari said, addressing her parents, "I miss you guys; I hope it nice wherever you are." Ari wiped away a tear and got up, she was about to walk away when a sudden movement caught her eye. Looking behind her, Ari saw the Katherine doppelganger from before fighting with a crow. Ari raised an eyebrow and laughed as the girl ran away. From where she stood, Ari saw someone standing behind the carved angel that stood before her grandmother's grave. That someone was male. And a Vampire. And even after 145 years, she could still remember exactly how he smelled.

"Damon." She breathed." Damon turned around to see who was watching him, but Ari ran away before he could see her.

ZOMBIE

Later that day, Ari left her house to find herself face to face with a smiling couple, holding a fruitcake.

"Hi." She said uncertainly,

"Hello!" The woman stepped forward, all smiles, with her perfectly dyed blond hair and pearls, "We'd just like to say: "Welcome to Mystic Falls!" Ari concealed her smirk with a fake smile,

"Thank you; I'm Arianna DuBaer and you are-?" The man stepped forward,

"Mayor Richard Lockwood. Pleasure to meet you." Ari raised an eyebrow. The Lockwood's were still the ruling family. Figures. Mystic Falls never changed. Even after a century and a half. 'Mayor Richard Lockwood' continued, "And this is my wife Carol." The woman smiled,

"It's nice to meet the both of you." Ari smiled.

"We're not sure if you're aware that your Uncle was an affluent member of the Founding Council. And as you have inherited his property, you have also inherited his position on the council." Ari concealed the smirk; her little plan was working beautifully.

"What does the Founding Council do exactly?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Well, we are charged with protecting the legacy of the Founding Families, and so we organize several events throughout the year, such as the annual Founders party, the Founders Week, the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. That sort of thing." Carol Lockwood laughed. Ari wondered how to introduce the subject of Vampires.

"Urm- I was going through some old family journals and a few of them mentioned Vampires. And that the Founding Council also helped with protecting the town from Vampires. Is that true?" Mayor Lockwood glanced at his wife.

"Yes. Yes it is…" he said.

"But don't let that put you off!" his wife said hurriedly. "Vampires haven't been around in Mystic Falls for years!" Ari's eyes narrowed; _Yeah, that's what we want you think lady. _Returning her face to its usual mask of indifference, Ari turned to the Mayor,

"It would be an honour for me to be on the Founding Council Mayor Lockwood. Thank you for coming to invite me." The Mayor and his wife smiled, obviously relieved.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, we meet every Thursday at the Mayors residence." Carol Lockwood said as she and her husband turned to leave, "We hope to see you there Ari!" As soon as the Lockwood's were out of sight. Ari rolled her eyes and dumped the fruitcake in the bushes. Vampires don't eat fruitcake. Ari thought as she made her way to her car. We prefer AB-.

ZOMBIE:

Ari sat in her small secluded little corner of the Mystic Falls Bar and Grill, munching on her order of French fries; they were the only human food she ate; they were like deep-fried crack. She was hidden from sight but, close enough so that she could hear everything. Ari saw the witch she had seen with Katherine's doppelganger talking to an attractive young boy.

"So how's Elena doing?" he asked. Ari had a feeling that they were talking about the Katherine look-a-like. So her name was Elena. Ari mused. She filed away the information and continued to eavesdrop.

"Her Mom and Dad died." The witch was saying, "How do you think she's doing? I mean, she's putting on a brave face, but it's only been four months."

"So, does she talk about me?" the boy asked.

"Oh no." The witch said, "So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and ask her yourself."

"I feel weird calling her; she broke up with me." The boy explained.

"Give it more time Matt." The witch shrugged. The door to the grill opened and who should walk in but Ari's least hated Salvatore. Stefan. And Elena. Matt and the witch turned to face them and Ari's heart panged a little at the expression on Matt's face. It was one she knew well. She would wear it every time she saw Damon and Katherine together. Matt got up and walked over to wear Stefan stood, sticking out his hand;

"Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you."

"Hey. Stefan." Stefan shook Matt's hand. In spite of herself, Ari smiled at Stefan's good manners. Shaking her head, Ari wondered if she could go over and say hello to Stefan. She wanted to make a grand entrance. Something dramatic. Of course she had wondered what meeting the Salvatore brothers after all this time would be like. Somehow, walking up to one of them in a bar; wasn't exactly what she had had in mind. Quietly paying her bill, Ari walked out of the grill with her head down, taking extra care to make sure that Stefan didn't see her. She'd make her presence known. Soon.

Ari sat down at the large desk that stood in one corner of the spacious master bedroom. She pulled out the large file that she had stolen from the local hospital. It was the file of one 'Elena Gilbert.' Ari did a double take when she had discovered Elena's last name. How could a Gilbert be connected to a Pierce? Better yet, how could a Gilbert look like a Pierce? As she went through Elena's hospital records, she discovered that Elena had been born to a Dr. Grayson Gilbert and his wife Miranda. Only, there were no records of Miranda ever being pregnant with a child. The records also showed that Elena had gotten into a car accident with her parents on Wickory Bridge. She had survived, but her parents hadn't. Frowning, Ari placed everything back in the file and walked over to the liquor cabinet. Pouring herself a large glass of whiskey, Ari sat down on the edge of the bed and wondered what her next move should be. _Get on the Founders Council. Check. Find out about Katherine's look-a-like. Check. Meet the Salvatore's… _Ari paused and took a long swig of her drink. Meeting the Salvatore's. That can wait until tomorrow, Ari decided, draining her glass and putting down on the desk. Right now she needed a shower and a good night's sleep. She would wait until tomorrow to make her grand entrance.

The rest of the next day went on slowly for Ari; she returned the hospital files to their rightful places; she unpacked. She worked on some of the cars outside. And before she knew it; it was night-time. She ran to the Salvatore Boarding house where she could smell both brothers and perched herself of the roof above the entrance way. Waiting. She began to listen in on their conversation,

"I've managed to keep myself busy." She heard Damon say. Ari rolled her eyes.

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight." Stefan said, "That's very clumsy of you."

"Ahh. That could be a problem. For you." Ari shook her head. Vampirism definitely hadn't improved Damon's personality. But then again, it hadn't improved hers either.

"Why are you here now?" Stefan asked.

"I could ask YOU the same question." Damon started, "However, I'm fairly certain that your answer to that can be summed up in one tiny little word. Elena." Ari stiffened. If Elena had caught Damon's eye then things were about to go from bad to worse. History had a tendency to repeat itself, if in this case, it did, then all hell will break loose.

"She took my breath away. Elena." Ari heard Damon say." Dead ringer for Katherine." Damon paused. "Is it working? Being around her, being in her world, does it make you feel alive?"

"She's not Katherine." She heard Stefan say. _Well, for your sake; you better hope so. _Ari thought.

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended." Damon said. _Yeah; you two boneheads ended up destroying the town. Not to mention ending my human life._ She thought.

"Tell me something," Damon was saying, "When was the last time you had something stronger to eat than a squirrel." Ari cocked her head to the side; so Stefan was a veggie. That was surprising. She'd heard that Stefan had gone through a Ripper phase during the 1920's; the fact that he was now suddenly hunting rabbits instead of humans was surprising.

"I know what you're doing Damon. It's not gonna work." Stefan said.

"Yeah?" Ari heard Damon thump Stefan, "Don't you crave a little?" Thump.

"Stop." She heard Stefan say threateningly.

"Let's do it. Together." Damon said. "I saw a couple of girls out there. Or let's just cut to the chase. Let's go straight after Elena." Ari could hear Stefan push away Damon.

"Stop it!"

"Imagine what her blood tastes like! I can." Damon said tauntingly.

"I said STOP!" Stefan growled and pushed Damon out of the window. Ari watched in mild amusement as Stefan fell to the ground. Damon stood lounging on a fence. Ari rolled her eyes and spoke,

"You guys haven't changed a bit." Both Damon and Stefan turned in the direction of her voice; they couldn't see her, but Damon knew that he had heard that voice before.

"Who's there?" Stefan called. Ari rolled her eyes and jumped off the roof, still concealed in the shadows. Slowly, Ari stepped out into the light; a smirk playing across her lips.

"Hello boys."

ZOMBIE:

There was stunned silence as Damon stared at his former love. She looked exactly the same as she did the last time he had seen her; the only difference was that she looked a hell of lot better in her skinny jeans and leather jacket than she had done in the hoop skirts he had seen her in back then. She turned to Stefan,

"What?" Ari said, shrugging her shoulders, "No 'Hello? How have you been?' Jeez, Stefan. And I thought that YOU at least would have missed me." Stefan shook his head,

"Ari. What- What are you doing here?"

"You mean, what am I doing here in Mystic Falls, or what am I doing here as a vampire?" She asked, a devilish smirk spread across her face.

"Both." Damon stepped forward. Ari raised her eyebrows,

"Well, as for the vampire part; that's no thanks to you two, that's for sure. And as for my return to Mystic Falls, that's for me to know and for you two to dot dot dot." Ari shook her head, "Let's make one thing perfectly clear, I hate you." She said, turning to look at Damon, "Both of you. So you stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours. Capiche?" Without waiting for an answer, Ari turned around and walked away. "Oh, Stefan?" Ari addressed the younger Salvatore, who stepped forward, brow furrowed, "You forgot this," she tossed him his daylight ring. "Wouldn't want you to burn now, would we?" she smirked. And with that, Ari turned and walked away, whistling under her breath as she did so.

AN: Let me know what you guys think, Ari's reasons for coming back will be revealed as the story progresses, but she will mess the boys around a bit before she gets what she came back to find. Review review review!

ZOMBIE


	3. The Night Of The Comet

AN: So here it is! The second chapter. This chapter is pretty Ari-centric, focusing on her relationship with the brothers, Damon in particular. I've included a few flashbacks in the mix, so you can get an idea about Ari's past. Hope you enjoy it!

*Beep* *Beep*. Reaching over to the nightstand beside her bed, Ari turned off the alarm and lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. The truth was, she hadn't slept at all last night. Seeing the Salvatore's after so long had thrown her for a loop. Over the past 145 years, she would be lying if she said she hadn't imagined what it would be like to see the Salvatore's after all these years; in one scenario she had pictured herself staking both Stefan and Damon all dressed in black leather wearing 3 inch heels. Very femme fatale. Ari sat up and climbed out of bed. Killing the Salvatore's wouldn't satisfy her insatiable need for revenge, however tempting the thought may be. 'No,' Ari thought as she walked into the adjoining bathroom, 'I can't kill them. But that doesn't mean I can't have my fun with them.' She smirked as she formulated the next phase of her plan. So she wasn't going to kill the boys, she would simply have to settle for destroying them instead.

**ZOMBIE**

After showering, Ari decided to start looking for answers. She needed to know who had turned her into a vampire all those years ago. Ari had woken up laying in the middle of the forest, covered in human blood, a vampire. She had no memory of transitioning, or even of dying. It was almost as if she had been compelled to forget, which was impossible because compulsion wears off after one becomes a vampire, and vampires can't compel other vampire's right? The last thing she remembered was Damon and Stefan's memorial service, after they had been 'shot in battle', nearly a week before she had woken up alone in the forest.

_Mystic Falls 1864:_

"…_and may the Lord deliver their souls to Heaven. Amen." The priest concluded the service as the mourners bowed their heads in prayer. After the service was over and people began to make their way home, no one seemed to notice the lone figure standing above the freshly made graves. Arianna knelt down and placed and flower on the two graves, her fingers delicately traced the intricate engraving on the tombstone to her left, it read: 'Here lays Damon Giuseppe Salvatore, loving son and brother, may he rest in peace'. Arianna took a deep breath in a futile attempt to control her emotions. No matter what had happened between them in the months before his death, she had still loved Damon; and he was gone. The circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious to say the least, according to her father; both Damon and Stefan had been mistaken for Union sympathizers by Confederate soldiers and shot down. Her elder brother Alexander corroborated the story; Arianna, however, thought differently, the whole thing seemed too neat to be true. There was something else going on, and Arianna was going to find out the truth._

"_Miss DuBaer," A male voice broke Arianna's reverie, she looked up to see her childhood friend George Lockwood peering down at her with concern._

"_George," Arianna smiled weakly, "how many times have I told you to call me by my Christian name?" George smiled,_

"_Calling you by you given name implies familiarity, Miss DuBaer, and I would not dare pretend to be familiar with you in any way; both your father and brother will have my head." George offered Arianna his hand, "Please, let me help you up" Arianna took his offered hand and allowed George to hoist her to her feet._

"_Thank you George." She smiled_

"_It's my pleasure." George nodded politely. He paused for a minute, unsure of how to proceed, "I'm… sorry for your loss" he said, nodding towards Damon's headstone, "He was a great man."_

"_They both were," Arianna smiled sadly, motioning to Stefan's grave, next to his brother's. She took a deep breath for courage and turned to George, "George, what really happened that night? The night of the fire?" _

"_Did Alexander not tell you?" George asked, "Damon and Stefan were mistaken for Union sympathizers and-"_

"_Shot by Confederate soldiers. Yes I know" Arianna finished. "But I know there's more to the story. Please George," she grasped his hand in desperation, "I know you know what really happened, I need to know." George looked down at their entwined hands, and when he looked up, Arianna saw him for what he really was, a man with a secret._

"_Arianna," he began, a tortured expression on his handsome face, he opened his mouth to speak…_

"_Arianna!" The booming voice carried across the length of the graveyard, both Arianna and George looked up to see Alexander DuBaer walking towards them,_

"_George," Arianna whispered pleadingly, George removed her hand from his, and his face returned to its usual expression of feigned politeness._

"_Alexander." He nodded towards the eldest DuBaer when he had reached them._

"_George." Alexander replied before gently grasping his sister's arm. "Arianna, father wants to see you. It's urgent. Come." He pulled Arianna away from George and began to lead her towards the waiting carriage. Arianna turned back to see George placing a flower on Damon's grave._

A sharp knock on the front door snapped Ari out of her walk down memory lane. Shaking her head to clear it, Ari sauntered downstairs and opened the front door.

"Stefan," she smirked, leaning against the doorframe, "shouldn't you be in school? You know, last time I checked, high schools frown upon tardiness." Stefan nodded politely,

"Arianna." Ari tilted her head and opened the door wider,

"Come on in." She stepped back to allow Stefan inside. Stefan marveled at how similar the DuBaer mansion was to the house Arianna grew up in.

"Wow." He breathed, "When I heard that they had rebuilt the mansion in an exact replica of your old house, I hadn't realised-"

"How 'exact' they had been?" Ari finished. Stefan nodded. The two stood awkwardly in the front hall for a few seconds. "Want a drink?" Ari broke the silence by striding towards the living room, Stefan trailing dutifully behind her.

"It's a little early to be drinking isn't it?" Stefan asked wryly. Ari shrugged and poured herself a glass of scotch.

"Hey, it's happy hour somewhere right?" Ari turned back around and saw Stefan shaking his head in amusement. "Why are you here Stefan? I know you didn't come down all this way to lecture me on my drinking habits, so spill, what do you want?" Ari took a sip of her drink, waiting for an answer.

"Who turned you?" Stefan asked pleadingly. Ari stared at Stefan for a few minutes, wondering what to tell him.

"Stefan," she said finally, "It is way too early to be answering that question and frankly, I am not nearly drunk enough. That's a story for another time." Ari finished her drink, "So, is that all?"

"No," Stefan said, taking a step forward, "The recent string of killings; was it you?" Ari smirked and placed her drink down on the table,

"Maybe. So what if it was?"

"The founders will be suspicious. You need to stop." Stefan pleaded. Ari laughed humourlessly,

"The founders have better things to worry about trust me. And besides, killing is in our nature Stefan, you can't possibly expect me to go against my instincts just because you asked nicely." Ari tilted her head, letting her eyes roam the length of Stefan's body, "You know, once upon a time, you used to be quite the ripper. What happened?" Stefan's face showed remorse,

"I realised there was more to life than slaughtering innocent people for amusement." Ari raised an eyebrow,

"Duly noted. Well," Ari said, walking towards the front door, "I have a lot of work to do today and you have school, so if you don't mind," Ari opened the front door. Stefan nodded in understanding and walked to the door. Before he left, he glanced back at Ari,

"Why are you back?" Ari shrugged,

"After 145 years, I felt it was about time." Ari finished. "Goodbye Stefan." As Ari shut the door, she waited until the sounds of Stefan's footsteps had died away. She then made her way up to the attic; the best way to figure out what had happened in the week after Damon and Stefan's funeral was to find her journal from 1864. She used to write in that thing every night. Climbing the stairs to the attic, Ari rolled up the sleeves of her black t-shirt and got to work.

**ZOMBIE:**

By 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Ari was fed up, she had gone through what seemed like a hundred boxes and still no sign of her journals, or even anything from 1864. Man, her descendants were major hoarders. Ari pushed away the box of clothes from the 1960's with a sigh and sat back on her heels; she had been at this for the whole day and had only managed to cover half the room, there was just so much stuff. Ari got up and kicked away the offending box in frustration, it tipped over and a pair of white Go-Go boots spilled out,

"You have got to be kidding me." Ari groaned and bent down to pick up the boots, when she noticed that the boots were propped up against a very old, very big chest that looked very familiar to Ari. Tilting her head in curiosity, Ari bent down and wiped away the thick layer of dust that covered the lid of the chest, as the name engraved on the lid became legible, Ari gasped in amazement; the trunk was hers, back when she was human. Using her vampire strength, Ari eagerly pulled the trunk to the centre of the room. She quickly managed to open the trunk and knelt down in front of it, rummaging through it eagerly. Very quickly, Ari was disappointed with what she found, there was nothing in the crate except some of her old dresses. Ari was about to close the trunk when a small box hidden in the corner of the crate caught her eye, she carefully lifted the box out of the trunk and opened it, unsure of what she would find. What she did find took her breath away, there nestled within the tiny box, perfectly preserved even after an eternity of disuse lay the engagement ring Damon had given her 145 years ago.

_Mystic Falls, 1864:_

_"That will be all Lucy. Thank you." Arianna dismissed her maid for the evening. Lucy nodded and quietly left the room. Arianna sat down at her dressing table and began brushing her hair. After a while, she put down the brush with a huge sigh; tomorrow Damon would be leaving for the war. Over the last couple of years, the friendship that had existed between Damon and Arianna since birth had blossomed into something more. The two spent hours together, walking across her family's extensive land, stealing kisses when no one was looking. In spite of their best efforts, the whole town knew of the courtship, and some, like their parents, could not have been more pleased. Arianna's mother was expecting a marriage proposal to come any day now. Arianna was less sure. She loved Damon, with every fibre of her being, and Arianna could not bear the thought of separated from him for even a single minute. But where Arianna wore her heart on her sleeve, Damon was more cautious with his true feelings. He had grown up in a house where showing any kind of unnecessary emotion was frowned upon, as a result Damon had learned to be careful when it came to sharing his feelings. And Arianna respected that, but although they had been courting for over a year, I love you's had never been exchanged. Now Damon was leaving for a year, and Arianna was anxious to tell Damon how she really felt about him before he left. A soft knock at the door interrupted her thought process. Arianna walked over to the door,_

"_Lucy, I told you I did not need anything else. It's late you should go to bed." Arianna opened the door and faltered when she saw who was standing on the other side "Damon!" She whispered, careful not to disturb her parents. "What are you doing here?" She said letting him in her room and closing the door behind him. "What if my father saw you? Or worse Alexander. You know how he feels about us."_

"_Well that was a risk I was willing to take." Damon said, drawing her into his arms," I had to see you before I left." He kissed her softly on the lips. Arianna placed her head on his chest,_

"_I wish you did not have to go. I will miss you."_

"_Well someone has to kill them damn Yankees" Damon said quoting his father. Arianna smiled and pulled away from his arms,_

"_Are you all packed?" Damon nodded,_

"_There is just one piece of business that I need to take care of before I go."_

_Arianna looked up at him in confusion, "Oh?" She asked. Damon nodded,_

"_Before I leave, I just wanted you to know- I wanted to tell you- I-" Arianna laughed softly as she watched the usually eloquent Damon Salvatore struggle for words, _

_"Damon," she said gently, placing a hand on his cheek, "you can tell me anything you know that." Damon inhaled sharply, _

_"Arianna, I love you. I always have. And I want you to know that no matter what may happen, I will always love you." he said looking deep into her eyes. Arianna smiled widely, _

_"I love you too Damon. With all my heart" Damon exhaled, the relief visible across his handsome face. _

_" Well in that case," he said, pulling out a small box, "Arianna DuBaer, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" He showed Arianna the beautiful diamond ring _

_"Oh Damon" she breathed' clearly at a loss for words _

_"I know that I was supposed to ask your fathers permission first but I do not know what will happen once I am out in the field and I wanted you to have this before I went"_

_Arianna shook her head, "Do not talk like that. You will come back Damon Salvatore I am sure of it." _

_Damon smirked, " Does this mean you accept?"_

_Arianna laughed, "Of course I do" _

_Damon slipped the ring on Arianna's delicate finger. "It was my mother's; after she passed, I found the ring and I've kept it ever since waiting to give it someone who I loved with all my heart" he said as he slipped the ring on. "And that's you Arianna." He bent his head and kissed her passionately. Arianna wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and allowed him to carry her to bed where they made love for the first time._

_The next morning, Arianna woke up alone, with a full heart and a ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. There was a note on her pillow that read: 'My love, I wish I could be there with you but I had to leave before both our fathers discovered what we were doing last night. By the time you read this, I will be on my way to Georgia, but I will think about you every minute we are apart. Yours, Always and Forever, Damon._

Ari quickly snapped out of the trance she was in. She looked down at the ring in her hand; the plan had been to announce the engagement officially, once Damon had returned. But, then Katherine had entered the picture and the rest, as they say, is history. Ari traced the delicate ring with her finger, she should probably give it back to Damon; no use in hanging on to something that only brought back memories she would rather forget. Ari shut the small box and placed it in the pocket of her jeans. She glanced down at her watch; all this sentimentality was making her hungry, and if she remembered correctly, she was out of blood bags, this warranted a trip down to Mystic Falls General.

**ZOMBIE**

Ari walked out of the basement an hour later with a bag of 100 blood bags, feeling extremely happy. Contrary to what she had told Stefan earlier, Ari was not responsible for the recent killings; that was all Damon. She needed to keep the council of her back in order for her plan to work. She would find out how much the council knew at the first meeting on Thursday. Ari reached the main floor of the hospital and was about to leave when she saw Stefan entering the hospital,

"Stefan?" Ari wondered aloud, "What are you doing here?" Ari decided to follow him; it's not like she had anything better to do anyway. Ari followed Stefan as her made his way to the trauma ward, careful to make sure he didn't see her, she watched as he walked into the room of that girl who was attacked last night. Ari hid in the doorway and heard what Stefan was saying

"It was an animal that attacked you. It came out of the night and jumped you. You blacked out. It's all you remember." Stefan said, clearly compelling the girl.

"It's all I remember." The girl replied monotonously.

"An animal attacked you. You blacked out. It's all you remember." Stefan said again.

"It's all I remember." The girl repeated. Stefan, satisfied that his work was done, quickly left the room, unaware that he was being followed. Ari kept her distance as she saw the girl's brother, the same boy from the grill last night. Mark? Matt? Ari couldn't remember his name, so many human, so little time. Well whatever his name was, he was following Stefan, who seemed to now know he was being followed. Speeding past Matt, Ari followed Stefan into a room with blood donors and blood bags. Ari was careful to stay hidden as she watched Stefan jump out the window. After Matt left, Ari looked around the room, 'Well, this was a bust.' Ari thought as she spied a bowl of blood bags, she quickly grabbed one on her way out.

**ZOMBIE**

Night came rather quickly after the hospital, Ari went home, ate and then rummaged through some more boxes, found nothing, and then decided to go to the grill for a drink. Maybe she'd run into Damon so she could give him the ring. Ari drove into town, parked next to the grill, and walked in, avoiding all the people eager to watch the comet. Ari sat down at the bar, ordered a scotch and looked around; she saw the girl from the hospital talking to a boy around her age, he seemed to be apologising, she didn't seem to care. Ari shook her head and turned back to her drink,

"Well well" A voice behind her said, "Look what we have here." Damon sat down next to her.

"Damon." Ari said, nodding her head, "Tormenting Stefan get too boring for you?" Damon smirked,

"Maybe I decided to torment you instead." Ari threw back her head and laughed,

"Trust me, if anybody's going to be tormenting anybody, it's going to be me tormenting you." Damon shrugged,

"We'll see." Ari smirked,

"We'll see." She said, staring at Damon, they sat there like that for a while. In silence. Ari downed the rest of her drink, "Well, I should go. You know, places to be, people to eat. Which reminds me," Ari reached into her pocket and took out the box with the ring and placed it before Damon on the bar. "I found this in a box of my old stuff. You know mother was a hoarder, she never threw anything away." Damon took out the ring and regarded it with an unfathomable expression on his face, Ari leaned in towards him, "You once told me you wanted to give that ring to someone you loved with all your heart. You lied." She whispered. Ari got up and left, not wanting to be around him any longer; being around him, it brought back memories she would rather forget. As she left Damon sitting in silence at the bar, Ari turned back to see the girl from the hospital walk up to Damon. Ari just shook her head and walked away.

**ZOMBIE **

Ari had been wandering around the streets of Mystic Falls for a while, now she was sitting on a bench just outside the grill, waiting for the comet. The sound of Stefan's voice made Ari look behind her, where she saw Stefan talking with that boy who had been following him at the hospital. He seemed to be asking Stefan is he had seen his sister. Ari snorted and walked towards them, as she got closer, she could hear their conversation more clearly.

"Hey. I saw you at the hospital yesterday." The boy was saying.

"Did you?" Stefan asked.

"What were you doing there?" The boy pressed. Ari decided to help Stefan out, he would be more inclined to trust her, which could work to her advantage later on.

"He was visiting me." Ari said smoothly, stepping up to the two boys, she turned to the other boy, "You know I'm such a klutz, I just moved to town and I was moving boxes around when I tripped and bumped my head." She then turned to Stefan, "Stefan's an old friend who was just checking up on me." She finished with a dazzling smile. The boy looked between Stefan and Ari in confusion, clearly at a loss for words,

"I'm Arianna DuBaer by the way," Ari stuck out her hand. The boy cautiously took her proffered hand.

"Matt. Matt Donovan." Matt turned to Stefan, "You know, Elena and I, we've known each other for a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her." Stefan and Ari both turned their heads towards the sound of a scream nearby.

"Excuse me." Stefan said, before abruptly walking away, leaving Ari and Matt staring at his retreating back; Matt in confusion, Ari in amusement,

"He does that a lot, you know." Ari said, in an attempt to ease Matt suspicious mind. "Walk off like that without saying a word. Its rude I know, but he's been seeing someone about it so hopefully he'll stop doing it." Ari grinned. Matt smiled weakly, unsure of what to make of the whole situation. He began to walk away,

"I should go look for my sister, if you see her, let me know." Matt said. Ari nodded.

"Will do." She watched Matt walk away. "Will not." She muttered as she walked off in the direction that Stefan had went. She stopped when she reached a building, looking up she could see Damon standing on the roof. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Ari began to listen,  
"Don't." Stefan was saying.

"It was Stefan." Damon was saying to someone; Ari guessed it was the girl he had attacked last night.

"Don't." Stefan pleaded.

"Come here." Damon cajoled. "Stefan Salvatore did this to you." He murmured, compelling the girl.

"Stefan Salvatore did this to me." The girl repeated.

"He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster." Damon said.

"Please, Damon. Please don't do this." Stefan's desperation was evident in his voice.

"If you couldn't fix it before, I don't know what you can do now." Damon said. The girl screamed. "Ugh!" Damon said disgustedly, "Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that."

"No!" The girl screamed.

"You have two choices." Damon continued. "You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming "vampire" through the town square." He finished gleefully.

"That's what this is about? You want to expose me?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"No! I want you to remember who you are!" Damon yelled in frustration.

"Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill?" Stefan said, "So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you." There was a pause, as both Damon and Ari considered Stefan's words. Finally Damon spoke,

"Huh. Huh. Wow. Come here, sweetheart."

"No!" The girl screamed.

"It's OK." He said soothingly. There was silence as Damon presumably whispered something to the girl.

"What happened?" The girl asked. "Where am I? Oh, I ripped my stitches open. Ugh. . ."

"You okay?" Stefan asked.

"I took some pills, man. I'm good." The girl said before she left.

"It's good to be home." Damon said. "Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?"

"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to. . .dot dot dot." Ari smirked, hearing Damon use her words from last night. "Give Elena my best." And with that, Damon turned and jumped off the roof, landing a few feet away from where Ari was standing. He was about to walk away, not even noticing Ari standing there.

"Stealing my lines now are we?" The sound of her voice stopped Damon in his tracks. He turned around to find Ari leaning against a lamppost,

"It was a good line." He said, taking a step towards her, "What are you up to Ari?" Ari smirked.

"Same thing as you." Damon raised an eyebrow,

"You're here to torment Stefan?" Ari laughed,

"No, I'm here to open the tomb underneath Fells Church. That is why you're here isn't it?" The smirk that had been on Damon's face slid off, as his face registered surprise. "What?" Ari said tauntingly, "You thought you were the only one who knew? You weren't the only person Emily told you know." Damon rushed forward and pinned her against the lamppost,

"Why do you want the tomb open." He hissed menacingly. Ari shrugged,

"The idea of 27 bloodthirsty vampire's running around Mystic Falls amuses me. I live for chaos." Damon stared down at her for a second, before letting go. "I can help you, you know." Ari said, straightening her jacket. "You want Katherine back. I want the tomb open, we can work together." Damon pretended to think about it.

"Hmm. I think I'll pass. Thanks." He said sarcastically. Ari shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Think about it some more and let me know." Ari walked away, "See you around Damon." She said, as she walked towards the town square. Ari looked up to see the comet soaring across the sky, she smirked as she made her way to her car; her plan was already in motion, the boys wouldn't know what had hit them.

AN: So that's it. Let me know what you think. I found it really hard to write the Damon/Ari flashback at the beginning, I thought it was too mushy. Anyway, tell what you thought, and if you have any ideas for upcoming chapters let me know. As always, review review review!


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